Opening arrangements of the above-outlined type are employed in, for example, that type of substantially parallelepipedic packaging container which is manufactured from paper/plastic laminate and which is generally encountered on the market as a package for, for instance, juice or other beverages. A packaging container with a previously known opening arrangement of this type is disclosed in, for example, European Patent Applications EP 93101724.8 and EP 94119148.8, to which reference is now made. The pouring device of the prior art opening arrangement comprises a pouring aperture and an edge region extending around the aperture, and at whose rear end the closure device is applied. The pouring device is permanently connected to the outside of the packaging container around an outlet opening provided in the packaging laminate, the area of the opening being considerably smaller than the area of the pouring opening. As a result, a part of the packaging laminate which is located around the outlet opening will be exposed and forms a sealing surface which is accessible via the pouring opening, which extends around the outlet opening, and which is intended for the pull-tab whose purpose is to seal the outlet opening in liquid-tight fashion. Thus, the pull-tab is not covered in any part by the pouring device or its edge region, which, in this design and construction, is a precondition for the consumer to be able to grasp and detach the pull-tab completely from the packaging container. The difference in area between the outlet opening and the pouring opening moreover permits a certain degree of tolerance in accuracy on application of the pouring device onto the outside of the packaging container, which takes place after the pull-tab has also been applied over the outlet opening.
The above-mentioned, projecting sealing surface for the pull-tab will, after removal of the pull-tab, prove a drawback since, on the one hand, it prevents the flow of contents out from the packaging container and, on the other hand, shows a tendency to attract droplets of the contents of the package when the consumer ceases pouring. Residual contents remaining around the outlet opening not only make an unfavourable impression but may also prove to be a difficulty in reclosing the packaging container, since it cannot be overlooked that contents might be splashed out in connection with the dosing operation. In addition, the necessary area difference between the outlet opening and the pouring opening makes it impossible to increase the area of the outlet opening above and beyond a certain limit, as may, for example, be desirable when more viscous products are to be packed in the packaging container and poured through the opening arrangement.